Sunday, July 03, 2005
Luther Vandross
1951 - 2005
Luther Vandross
1951 - 2005
Many of you reading this may have not known who he was or his music. Although many aspiring singers tried to remotely emulate his voice, they failed miserably. He is irreplaceable. This man is Luther Vandross. He died on Friday in New Jersey, due to complications after suffering from a stroke two years ago and bouts of diabetes and hypertension. He was 54.
The world of R & B has suffered a great loss following the death of Luther. He epitomised the word 'soul'. There will not be another Luther Vandross, who mesmerised his fans with his deep, velvety and soothing voice in "Here and Now" and "Any Love".
"He was arguably the most celebrated R&B balladeer of his generation. He made women swoon with his silky yet forceful tenor, which he often revved up like a motor engine before reaching his beautiful crescendos." The Associated Press.
Having experienced many bad incidences in my life, sometimes I feel I shouldn't laugh too much because "something bad might happen." And while being entertained by the contestants from Akademi Fantasia, my hysterical bouts of laughter came to a screeching halt when my sister SMS-ed me, saying that Luther Vandross had died. Need I say more? Although that "something bad" did not happen to a family member, I was so sad. I didn't cry, at least not until I played "Here and Now" on my CD player, which was a sign of my special tribute to Luther. I didn't feel silly at all, as most people might see me. I think I would have cried more if I had played "Dance With My Father", also sung by Luther, because it will only remind me of my late father. I just couldn't. Maybe one of these days I will. I always feel a sense of lost and sadness everytime a great musician passes on. The last time I felt this way was when Ray Charles died. Now, he was the man. Jamie Foxx may have won an Oscar for his role in "Ray", but he is no Ray Charles.
You see, performers like Luther Vandross and Ray Charles don't come along often. I just have a soft spot for legendary African-American singers. They are just gifted with incredible voices and they always sing from their hearts. It's as though they are precious beings in the music industry, slowly walking down the path of extinction. If you think about it, that's exactly it. They (good and soulful musicians) are becoming "extinct". Other singers who belong in the same league as Luther Vandross and Ray Charles are Lionel Richie, Whitney Houston, Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Peobo Bryson and also Barbara Streisand, just to name a few, whose level of greatness are on my list of "Golden Voices."
As a fan of Luther Vandross, all I can say is that he will be dearly missed.
green leaf ;
